Windows & Doors

WINDOWS

Leisure Rooms New England has affiliated with Thermal Industries as our principal supplier of residential windows and patio doors since 1996. Thermal Industries pioneered insulated vinyl windows 45 years ago. They continue to lead in the design and production of beautiful windows and patio doors with the highest insulation and air infiltration control. Leisure Rooms New England promises you thoughtful design and expert window installation to assure quality, value and peace of mind. See below for details.

INSERT TYPE REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

The majority of windows manufactured today are intended for use in existing homes, not new construction. The term “replacement window” applies primarily to custom size windows measured to fit existing window openings. Ideally, they offer advantages of better energy performance, ease of use, and good looks. Replacement windows are built to a 3 ¼” inside to outside standard thickness since this is the distance between the inside and outside sash stops on traditional wood double-hung windows. Insert type replacement windows with this 3 ¼” thickness are installed from the inside of the house and are placed between the stops of exist windows. The existing frame (jambs and sill) of the traditional window is left in place. Inside and outside trim remains undisturbed. A whole house of windows can often be replaced in a day using this method.

FULL FRAME REPLACEMENT WINDOWS

Many original windows, especially more recent ones, are poor candidates for partial replacement. They lack the traditional stops and the 3 ¼” pocket. Proper upgrade of these windows requires full frame replacement, back to the rough framing opening. It is often possible to do this without disturbing the interior or exterior trim, but not both. We also encounter many traditional windows that are in such poor condition that we recommend full replacement. Full replacement is always more expensive but can offer advantages in looks, efficiency and maximum view. We will be happy to discuss the fine points of insert type replacement vs. full frame replacement windows with you when we measure your home.

BUILDER WINDOWS

Vinyl windows dominate the residential replacement window market. Many manufacturers have looked to expand and add new construction windows to their product line. These new construction windows are usually produced with a 4 ½” thickness to match typical house wall dimensions and they include an exterior nailing fin for ease of installation from the outside of the house. The nailing fin also assists in sealing against air and rain entry. It is our unfortunate experience to find that these vinyl new construction windows are “builder” windows. They are generally not of a higher quality and have fewer options in glass performance, muntins, and aesthetic detail compared to the full range of choices from Thermal Industries. We do not offer a vinyl new construction window because of these deficiencies but Leisure Rooms New England does have something better.

KEEP ALL OPTIONS

Whether you have a need for full replacement or a new construction window need, we utilize the full window line and extensive options available from Thermal Industries. We utilize Thermal’s nailing fin option, install the window from the exterior of the house and use jamb extensions of wood or other appropriate materials to beautifully bridge whatever remaining wall depth is found in your home. Interior trim (casings, stools and aprons) can be provided by us or often we can reuse existing trim. Many of our “high-end” new construction and full replacement window competitors don’t even offer triple glazing options. With Leisure Rooms New England, triple glazed Super Peak Performance windows are our standard recommendation for your home. Our approach assures you of higher quality and more options than otherwise available.

ENJOY YOUR HOME

Many homes in New England built during the 20th century used stock plans with no regard to site orientation. Houses with no windows on the south side to catch the light and warmth of the sun. Houses with boring stock windows with no thought to capturing the stunning view of fall colors and wildlife activity outside. Leisure Rooms New England is happy to remedy this crime. We can open your house walls and build in the perfect picture, bow, bay or garden window. This is one of the quickest ways to add more value to your home. A bay, bow or garden window is the perfect spot for house plants and visually makes your home much larger at a fraction of the cost.

NATURAL VENTILATION

There are many ways we can increase the natural ventilation in your home. Casement windows offer 100% ventilation, double hung windows with full screens allow high and low cross-ventilation. Awning and hopper windows can stay open when it rains. Good ventilation is healthy and it saves energy.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR WINDOWS

Please go to our LINKS Page and click on Thermal Industries and then click on Windows/Doors. From there you can view information and pictures of window styles, glass options, colors, grids, Dreamglass, etc. We will assist you in these selections when we measure your project.

DID YOU KNOW?

Double strength glass (thicker, quieter and twice as strong as the annealed glass commonly used for windows) is standard on our products.

Super Peak Performance Glass has a center of glass R-Value of 9. Overall window performance is approximately double that of competitors’ Low E / Argon insulted windows.

Bow, Bay and Garden Windows are factory assembled like fine furniture by Thermal’s skilled finish carpenters.

Leisure Rooms New England has purchased lifetime glass breakage insurance protection to complement your lifetime product warranty. See separate written glass breakage warranty.

Thermal Industries maintains a skilled regional service department to back up their product warranty and complement our customer service for a double layer of protection.

GREEN RATING

We recommend Thermal Industries’ triple-glazed Super Peak Performance windows as the best choice for your home. Over the long life of these handsome windows, you will benefit from substantial energy savings far exceeding the initial cost difference. Overall, the windows we install are rated as “green” because of their outstanding energy savings.

The PVC frames are also energy efficient and have a long, no maintenance lifespan. Thermal Industries is a leader in using recycled vinyl in such products as their vinyl decking. However, PVC is not considered “green” in its own right at this time due to issues with additives and lack of full post-consumer recycling. It is reassuring to know the major ingredient in PVC is chloride derived from salt and not the oil derived hydrocarbon components typical of most plastics.

High performance vinyl windows from Thermal Industries will play an important role in energy conservation for many years to come.

WEATHERSEALING/FLASHING

New window locations and full frame replacement windows require detailed flashing and weather sealing to protect your home from water entry, rot and air infiltration. The exact details vary with each job and are affected by the age of the house, siding and trim materials, existing flashing and housewrap, etc.

Our crews come equipped with proper scaffolding and ladders for access to the work area and to protect your shrubs and lawn. We fabricate custom aluminum flashings onsite and utilize self-adhered flashing such as GRACE VYCOR flashing tape to surround the window and overlap the nailing fin. This water tight flashing is then covered with the appropriate exterior trim and siding detail.

Windows are installed plumb, level and square then shimmed and fastened in place. The space between the rough framing and the window is filled with low density foam sealant or fiberglass insulation as appropriate. In addition to the manufacturer’s warranty, we warrant proper installation of your windows for a full five years.

EXTERIOR TRIM

Depending on the installation technique chosen for your project, exterior trim such as casings and sills can be reused, replaced or modified. We can cover existing or modified casings with custom fabricated aluminum or vinyl trim wrap. Azek and similar low density PVC lumber is often used by us to duplicate traditional trim using a low maintenance product that does not rot, can be left unpainted or will hold paint much longer than wood trim. Flat stock and a number of traditional mouldings are available.

INTERIOR TRIM

We are often able to measure and design your project so as to reuse the existing interior casings, stools and aprons. Or you can select a stock or custom finish trim package that we will install.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR WINDOWS

GRABER WINDOW TREATMENTS

Many of our sunroom and window customers ask our advice on selecting the right window treatments for all that beautiful glass we just installed. For over 10 years we have recommended and installed Graber shades and blinds. Graber features hundreds of colors and patterns.

There is a difference that starts with the engineering of the components and the longevity of service you can expect. We only specify Graber’s G-78 headrail for the vertical blinds common in our sunrooms because of their proven durability. The G-78 headrail comes with a lifetime warranty and parts are replaceable. This is not true of low quality vertical blinds widely available today. We design our sunrooms to complement the Graber products whether you add them originally or later. We bring Graber product and color samples to your home when we measure. You may access the Graber website from our LINKS page